1975 MUSCLE—0 TO 60 FIFTY YEARS AGO

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1975 was a lukewarm year for performance at Detroit.

There were many reasons for this, but the biggest reason was heavy-handed government regulation during an era when bumpers were massive, gas was scarce, and horsepower was puny.

I’ll start with the ’75 Vette because at this point, C3 Corvettes looked pretty cool, but they were running on one lung.

The legendary 350 cubic inch L-48 Chevy small block produced a puny 165 horsepower in 1975, so this G3 Vette couldn’t outrun a big block 1970 Impala station wagon.

The numbers weren’t terrible though because this Vette did a decent 0 to 60 mph time of 7.7. That was a supersonic time in 1975—how the mighty had fallen since the mythical 427 cubic inch Vette brutes from earlier years.

The 1975 Mustang II was a big miss with fans of the iconic pony car.

Ford missed the mark with Mustang guys who saw this version as a dressed-up Pinto econobox. The awesome Boss 429 had been replaced by a 4-banger with less power than a snowmobile.

The Mach I brought them back a bit, but Mustang II owners are judged by their loyalty, not by the muscle under the hood. The ’75 Mustang small block 302 V-8 had a thumping 140 horsepower under the sheet metal, so it did a leisurely 0-60 time of 10.5 seconds. That was just enough speed to get in the way of a semi on a freeway.

The 1975 Dodge Dart was formerly known as the Dodge Demon–until a few hardcore religious advocates decided the name was a little too devilish.

You could get a 360 in a ’75 Dart so that upped the performance game to late 50s performance levels. This version pumped out 190 horsepower in its choked-off, smog-era, form, so it was nowhere near the 340 it was based on.

The final verdict? The ’75 Dart did zero-to sixty in 8.8 seconds—a blistering pace in the mid-70s.  

The ’75 Pontiac Trans Am was like the ’75 Corvette—a muted version that looked like its earlier form, but it performed like Uncle Reg’s ’75 Buick sedan.

The 455 cubic inch, L78 HO V-8 under the hood implied performance, but the low-compression, 200 horsepower number told another sad story.  This former supercar took 9 seconds to hit 60 miles per hour. This ’bird definitely had its wings clipped in 1975.

The last contender in 1975 was an unlikely entry—it was the AMC Matador. 

This car won’t win beauty contests, but back in 1975 the Matador was fully capable of winning some stoplight Grand Prixs.

The smallish 304 cubic inch under the hood pumped out a massive 150 horsepower and whipped the AMC up to 60 miles per hour in 11.2 seconds. You’re not going to intimidate any 2025 Toyota driver with that number, but back in 1975 you could probably thump a  ’75 Toyota Carolla.

It’s all about perspective.

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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